Last summer when Mom came to visit, we took her down to Mount Saint Helens and showed her....absolutely nothing. We drove all the way to the Johnston Observatory where I bought her a postcard because that was as good as it was going to get on that chilly, cloudy day in late June.
Please note: summer weather does not start here until...well...August...maybe?
In any case, going back to see the mountain has been on her to-do list ever since she moved here and I felt badly that we kept having to put it off. Between busy summer schedules and a rather cloudy summer, there never seemed like a good day. But this last Wednesday we braved the "partly cloudy" forecast and headed south. We chose wisely.
Voila! There it is!
We left Josh and Michael behind to do their daily chores and get packing for their scout camping trip. They didn't seem too disappointed. Josh had "already seen that mountain like 4-5 times already" and Michael's class went on a field trip there at the end of the school year. Ben was a good sport still and Isaac can't bear to be left behind when there are adventures to be had.
We did the usual: Johnston Observatory with its interactive displays and then a tiny hike to get an even better view.
The parking lot has the only food available in the park in the form of a food truck. Mom ate a brat with mediocre sauerkraut (she really misses Germany sometimes) and she had an audience. This little critter had no fear and at one point jumped on her back.
Then on to Coldwater lake with its lovely boardwalks. Ben did his part as a citizen scientist and reported on the water levels.
We all agreed that this would be a lovely location to use the kayaks.
We stopped at the Weyerhauser visitor center on the way back (they don't call it that, but let's be honest - that's what it is) and then headed home.
It was a lovely trip, even if I couldn't convince anyone else to do the 3 mile Hummocks trail with me. Maybe next time.
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